Primary Contact:
Raj Aitha, VP of Enterprise Applications · Neil Wintrode, former VP of Business and Technology Transformation
Roles Supported:
Technical Manager – Finance · Technical Manager – EPM · Technical Manager – Procurement
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How KAPITAL Built American Woodmark's Oracle Cloud Center of Excellence
Headquarters: Winchester, Virginia
Partnership since: 2022
Primary Contact: Raj Aitha, VP of Enterprise Applications · Neil Wintrode, former VP of Business and Technology Transformation
Roles Supported: Technical Manager – Finance · Technical Manager – EPM · Technical Manager – Procurement
Search Type: Exclusive retained, direct hire
Search Type:
Exclusive retained, direct hire
Headquarters: Winchester, Virginia
Partnership since: 2022
Client Overview
American Woodmark is one of the largest kitchen and bath cabinet manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Winchester, Virginia. The company runs manufacturing plants across the U.S. and Mexico, and in May 2026 completed its merger with MasterBrand, becoming part of the industry's broadest portfolio of cabinet brands.
When our partnership began, American Woodmark was in the middle of moving its back-office applications to Oracle Cloud. To support go-lives and run those systems long term, it needed to build an in-house Oracle Center of Excellence, with people based at its Winchester office.
The Beginning of the Partnership
Our partnership with American Woodmark began in early 2022, during a pivotal stage of the company's Oracle Cloud implementation.
We first worked with Neil Wintrode, then VP of Business and Technology Transformation, who had just brought Raj Aitha on board as Director of Enterprise Applications. When Neil retired, we continued working directly with Raj.
American Woodmark was rolling out Oracle Cloud across its back office: Financials, EPM, Procurement, and Supply Chain. It needed experienced Oracle professionals who could join its Center of Excellence, support each go-live, and manage the systems afterward.
The Challenge
American Woodmark needed niche Oracle Cloud talent, on-site in Winchester, Virginia, within a defined compensation range. Each of these factors shaped the candidate pool, and together they called for a highly targeted, well-informed search approach.
A live Oracle Cloud implementation
The company was mid-rollout across Financials, EPM, Procurement, and Supply Chain. New hires had to step into active go-lives, not a stable environment.
Scale and complexity
With many manufacturing plants across the U.S. and Mexico, the systems these hires would own touched operations across the entire business.
On-site in Winchester, Virginia
The roles were in-office. Remote candidates were not an option, so all candidates would need to relocate to Winchester.
A defined compensation band
The initial salary bands sat a little below what senior Oracle Cloud specialists were earning in the market.
Visa sponsorship considerations
Given market conditions, candidates who required visa sponsorship were not an ideal fit for these roles.
A rigorous interview process
Every candidate completed at least two virtual rounds and a full day of in-person interviews in Winchester, which meant coordinating travel, timing, and stakeholders on both sides.
Why American Woodmark Needed Specialized Recruiting Support
These were not standard ERP searches. Each role needed a hands-on Oracle Cloud specialist who could own a module through implementation and beyond.
The ideal candidate needed to bring:
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Deep Oracle Cloud expertise in Financials, EPM, or Procurement
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Experience supporting live implementations and go-lives
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The ability to manage and enhance systems after launch
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Willingness to relocate and work on-site in Winchester
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Fit within the approved compensation band
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No need for visa sponsorship
Finding all of that in one person required a partner who understood the Oracle Cloud talent market in depth and could give the client a clear view of what was realistic.
Our Recruitment Process
We began with a single exclusive search for an Oracle Cloud Financials leader. While that search was underway, American Woodmark awarded us a second direct-hire search for Oracle Cloud EPM, followed by a third for Oracle Cloud Procurement.
For a couple of months, we ran these searches in parallel: as one closed, the next opened, keeping the Center of Excellence build moving without a pause.
Weekly steering meetings
Raj and American Woodmark's internal talent teams met with us every week. These sessions kept everyone aligned on pipeline, feedback, and the company's specific interview requirements.
Full interview logistics
We coordinated every stage of a rigorous process: two or more virtual rounds, then a full day on-site in Winchester. That meant confirming which stakeholders each candidate needed to meet in person and managing candidate travel and timing end to end.
Complete transparency on the pipeline
We showed the client not just who we were submitting, but who was not making the cut and why. When a candidate looked strong on paper but fell short on a key requirement, we explained exactly where.
Candidate preparation
We prepared every finalist for American Woodmark's process and on-site day, so they arrived informed, confident, and ready to engage with the team.
Honest Market Guidance and Difficult Conversations
Over the life of the partnership, some of our most valuable work has been telling American Woodmark what the market looks like, even when it was not what they hoped to hear.
Resetting expectations on compensation and sponsorship
Early on, we advised that finding niche Oracle Cloud talent willing to relocate to Winchester, Virginia would require either visa sponsorship or a higher salary band. The client opened up both levers, and we placed strong hires who have stayed with the company ever since. As market conditions evolved, we continued to advise on compensation so the roles remained competitive.
Explaining a slow pipeline instead of padding it.
On the most specialized searches, there were stretches of two to three steering meetings in a row without a new submission. Rather than submit candidates who fell short of the brief, we walked the team through exactly who we had screened, why they were not the right fit, and which parameters were working in the search's favor.
Holding a candidate through months of change.
More recently, American Woodmark needed a backfill for a member of its internal team. We sourced a candidate who met every requirement: no sponsorship needed, willing to relocate and work on-site, and within budget. After his interview, the role was put on hold during the company's merger process. Six weeks later it returned as contract-to-hire, and we negotiated and secured agreement on those terms. The role was paused again, then reopened as a direct hire. Throughout, we kept the candidate engaged and gave the client a candid view of the risk: if he walked away, the search would restart from scratch. The candidate stayed with the process for four to five months and started in the role.
Results
We filled all three core Oracle Cloud roles in American Woodmark's Center of Excellence: Technical Manager – Finance, Technical Manager – EPM, and Technical Manager – Procurement. Several of those hires remain with the company today.
What Made the Partnership Successful
We understood the Oracle Cloud landscape
We knew what Financials, EPM, and Procurement specialists looked like in the market, and what it would take to attract them to an on-site role in Winchester.
We ran concurrent searches without losing focus.
Multiple exclusive searches ran in parallel over a couple of months, so the Center of Excellence took shape on the implementation's timeline.
We told the client the truth about the market.
From compensation bands to visa sponsorship, we gave clear, data-backed guidance, and American Woodmark acted on it.
We kept candidates engaged through change.
When roles paused, changed format, and reopened during the merger, we kept the right candidate in the process until he started.
We built a working rhythm with the client's team.
Weekly steering meetings with Raj and the internal talent teams kept every search organized, responsive, and aligned.
Conclusion
American Woodmark set out to build an in-house Oracle Cloud Center of Excellence in the middle of a major implementation, with every hire based on-site in Winchester. Working closely with Raj and the internal talent teams, we delivered all three core roles across Finance, EPM, and Procurement, running the searches in parallel so the team took shape on the implementation's timeline, and backing each one with clear, candid market guidance.
Now in its fifth year, the partnership is built on trust and open communication, and American Woodmark continues to return to us for its Oracle Cloud searches. As the company integrates with MasterBrand, we are working with Raj and his team on where else we can support the combined organization, in talent and beyond.
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© 2025 by KAPITAL DATA CORP
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